A Ukrainian family is trapped in a war-torn country after a "ridiculous" bureaucratic delay means they can't reach the safe haven they have been offered in Northumberland.
Romanna Holub and her children Sofiia,14 and Marko, two, are just three of thousands of Ukrainians who have applied for visas to the UK under the government's Homes for Ukraine Scheme which was set up to help refugee families find safety in Britain. Despite being offered a room by the Forster family in Northumberland, the trio are finding it difficult to actually reach there.
Teacher Romanna and her children have been waiting for 17 days now wary of the increasing danger that faces them in Ukraine with no update on when they will actually be able to leave. Many other Ukrainians have fled to Poland but the Holub family are trying to stay in their home until their visas have been approved because they have heard "horror stories" of vulnerable people being left homeless and at the mercy of smugglers after crossing the border, Chronicle Live reports.
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Host Claire Forster, 53, said: "We have had no indication of how long it will be. We were told about a '24-hour helpline' but that's only for help completing your visa so it's been no use. We are on day 17 now since the application went in and they are still living in Lviv.
"It's not Mariupol [where Russian attacks have been especially bad], but this is a mum who is having to go into a basement with her children every night as the air raid sirens go off. Last week there were 10 missile strikes that hit Lviv, one was only two kilometers from their house.
"They are in a situation where food is starting to be limited, it's all starting to look a bit dark for them. Even just to be able to give a timescale to this family would be helpful.
"They are in a warzone. It just seems a ridiculous way of running the system. We have reference numbers but we can't even check where they are in the queue - how that is not in place when we all do everything online beggars belief.
"The family was messaging me yesterday and it's heartbreaking to hear what's happening to them. This family hasn't made this decision lightly, they are leaving their lives behind in Ukraine, Romanna is leaving her husband Myron behind - he will be staying to fight.
"It's just such a tragic situation they are in and I am frustrated, in fact I am quite angry, that they are in this situation and I can't even give them a timescale of when they can come here."
Claire and her husband Ian, along with children Ewan, 17, and Imogen, 19, knew they wanted to help out as soon as they heard about the grave situation in Ukraine. They connected with the Holub family through Facebook, and have managed to help find homes for others they know with local families with the additional support of the Rothbury community.
She added: "It was a no-brainer for us that we wanted to help. We wanted to do it because I hope if we were in that situation somebody would be willing to help us. But I would also hope that there was a government with a system properly set up for it.
"We are just in this no-man's-land limbo at the moment and whilst it's frustrating for us it must be awful for these families."
A government spokesperson said: "The Homes for Ukraine scheme was set up in record time but we acknowledge progress approving visas has not been good enough. The Home Office has made changes to visa processing – the application form has been streamlined, Ukrainian passport holders can now apply online and do their biometrics checks once in the UK, and greater resource has gone into the system.
"This is allowing us to welcome people faster, while still maintaining security checks which ensure those who could pose a threat to our safety are prevented from getting here and human trafficking is assessed.”
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